Knitting machine needle retainer



1957 F. P. CROUCH 2,814,189

KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLE RETAINER Filed D90. 3, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i 97 s 9b 2 4 U 6 7 7 A 3 A INVENTOR A FRED P. CROUCH ATTORNEYS Nov. 26, 1957 F. P. CROUCH 2,814,139

KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLE RETAINER Filed Dec. 3, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mul ULVE" INVENTOR FRED F. CROUCH BY 5mm wyflf ATTORNEYS United States Patent C KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLE RETAINER Fred P. Crouch, Winston-Salem, N. C., assignor to P. H.

Hanes Knitting Company, Winston-Salem, N. C., a corporation of North Carolina I Application December 3, 1956, Serial No. 625,948

11 Claims. (Cl. 66--115) This invention relates to knitting machine needle retainers and more particularly to retainers for preventing lateral displacement of knitting machine needles from the grooves formed in needle dials or other needle mounting members. In the operation of such knitting machines, difliculty is sometimes encountered because of the tendency or susceptibility of needles to be displaced laterally from the slots or grooves in which they are mounted for longitudinal reciprocation. Lateral displacement of a needle from its groove may result in catching or jamming of the displaced needle in a crack or space between the needle operating cams, and may even result in damaging the needle bed or dial. Knitting machines are especially susceptible to such misoperation and being so damaged when several of the hooked-end knitting needles of a full complement of needles are removed in order that a desired pattern may be knitted, for example a rib-panel fabric pattern, and are replaced with blank or dummy needles to hold the cloth. The blank or dummy needles assist in holding the cloth, although not functioning to knit, but they are quite susceptible to being displaced laterally from their mounting grooves or slots with resultant damaging of the blank needles or associated machine parts.

An object of the invention is to provide a needle retainer of eficient construction, capable of being easily and securely connected to a knitting machine needle mounting member such as a dial, and of such form as to prevent lateral displacement of a needle from its mounting slot or groove. Broadly considered, a needle retainer in accordance with the invention is formed to include a portion insertable into and anchorable in a knitting machine bed or dial slot, and a projection or lug-like portion adapted to extend across and overlie a needle mounted for longitudinal reciprocation in a slot contiguous or adjacent to the slot in which the retainer is anchored. The arrangement is such that the projection or lug-like portion of the retainer prevents lateral displacement of the associated needle from its slot while, nevertheless, permitting free reciprocation of the needle.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a fragmentary plan view of a needle mounting member, more particularly a needle dial formed with needle mounting slots or grooves in the usual manner, and illustrates a typical arrangement of hooked-end knitting needles, blank or dummy needles, and empty or non-knitting needle mounting slots;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of some of the parts shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary radial section on the line 3--3 of Figure 1, a dummy needle being shown in elevation;

Figure 4 is a detail plan view of a needle retainer; and

Figure 5 is a detail elevational view of the retainer shown in Figure 4.

Only a sector at a needle dial is shownat 1 in Figure Patented Nov. 26, 1957 1, it being understood that the complete dial is of circular form and may be of any known or suitable construction. The dial 1 includes a central body part 2 and con centric inner and outer raised annular parts 3 and 4 formed respectively with uxtaposed radial slots or grooves 5 and 6, the grooves 5 being aligned radially with companion grooves 6 so as to enable mounting of needles, one in each pair of radially aligned grooves, in the usual manner. 7

Since constructions embodying the invention may be used with particular advantage in the knitting of ribpanel fabrics, Figure 1 shows one arrangement of needles which could be used in the knitting oi such a fabric. As indicated in Figure 1, there are two groups A of hookedend knitting needles 7 intervening between which is a group B of blank or dummy needles 8, the latter having plain ends incapable of forming knitting stitches or loops, but being adapted to be projected over the cloth to hold the latter in proper position during the knitting operation. The hooked-end knitting needles I constituting each group A are mounted for reciprocation in immediately adjacent pairs of grooves or slots 5 and 6, but the blank needles 8 are mounted in deployment with an empty or non-needle mounting groove or slot pair 5', 6' intervening between each two adjacent blank needles. The hooked-end knitting needles 7 and the blank or dummy needles 8 are formed with the usual butts Wand 8* respectively for cooperation with dial cams, not shown.

in operation, the hooked-end needles 7 are reciprocated radially in order to knit the fabric in a known manner in cooperation with cylinder needles, not shown. The blank or dummy needles 8 are also reciprocated, but having no hooked ends do not function to form knitted loops or stitches, their sole ofiice being to assist in holding the cloth as the cylinder needles rise to take on yarn at the yarn guides. The parts and manner of operation described so far are conventional and do not, in themselves, constitute the present invention. The invention resides in other parts and combinations thereof with known parts.

in accordance with the invention, a needle retainer is mounted on a knitting machine needle bed, or on the dial 1 in a manner to prevent lateral displacement of any needles which, because of their functioning in the operation of the machine as a whole, may be susceptible to lateral displacement from their associated mounting slots or guides. in the preferred form shown by way of illustration, each needle retainer, generally designated 9, comprises a shank 9 which is generally fiat and rectangular in cross section and of a size to fit tightly and frictionally within a needle slot 5, so as to anchor the retamer within the slot, but to permit removal of the retainer when desired for setting up a different pattern. Each retainer 9 further includes a projection or lug 9 which extends across the blank needle 8 mounted for reciprocation in the slot or groove pair immediately adjacent to the slot or groove in which the retainer shank 9 18 mounted. The lugs 9 are shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 as overlying the associated blank or dummy needles at where the latter emerge from their mounting grooves or slots 5', beyond the inner raised portion 3 of the dial 1. Hence, the needles 8 are engageable at intermediate parts of their lengths with the lugs 9* so as to be held effectively against lateral displacement. Furthermore, the lugs. 9, being located between the dial parts 3 and 4, are remote from the hooked ends of the knitting needles, both dial and cylinder, thus avoiding interference with the knitting needles and the cloth being knitted. While the lugs 9 are positioned sufliciently close to the associated needles 3 to prevent consequential rising of the needles laterally in their slot or groove pairs, the lugs are not pressed hard against the needles. 8, and thus freeoreciprocationof the latter is permitted. 7

The retainers 9 may conveniently be formed unitarily from ;sheet metal; stock vby providinglz aucut: out or: relief portiona9 adjacent toiionexend of :a2ban orxstripi like blank;

andlzbendinglthe lug-n9 soaas storlie'iinza plane: at right angles to thcrplaneof1the retainenshankifi;

. While retainers:v and combinations thereof with other knittingmachineparts.may bemused to'particular advan tage. for preventing the. lateral; displacement of dummy needles-,from: their: slo ts, -theymay be used also to advantage in any kind of knitting machine including a needle mounting :membert having slots or grooves-for mountingxa complement: of needles Thusretainers may be used in accordance with the invention for supplementing the holding of rhooked-lend needles K in-their' slots by the knitted loops in the.- =cloth engaging the needle hooked ends: If: desired, the.,retainers= maybeformed with lugs such :asthe :lugs 9 long enough to span more than The construction shown embodies theinvention in the preferred from, but it is intended that the'disclosure be illustrative-rather than definitive. The invention is defined in the appended claims;

I claim:

' 1. In a knitting machine, a'needle mounting member having a plurality of-juxtaposed"slots;' a plurality'of needles-mounted respectively in certain'of said slots; and a plurality of needle retainers anchored in' slotsresoec tively-adjacent to said'certain of saidslotsand having portions extending across the needles in said'certain' of said slots for' preventing lateral displacement 'of said 'needles from-said certain of said slots' while permitting longitudinal reciprocation of' said needles.

2. In "a'knitting machine, a needle mounting member having a plurality of juxtaposed slots; a plurality of needles mounted respectively in certain of said slotsyand a plurality of needle retainers having shanks frictionally anchored in solts respectively adjacent to said certain of said slots and having projections extending transversely of said shanks and across the needles in said certain of said slots for preventing lateral displacement of said needles from said certain of said' slots while permitting longitudinal reciprocation of said needles.

3. In a knitting machine, a needle'mounting member having a plurality of' juxtaposed slots; a plurality of needles mounted respectively in certain of said'slots; and a plurality of needle retainers having shanks frictionally anchored in slots respectively adjacent to said certain of said-slots andhaving projections extending transversely of 'said shanks andacross the needles where they emerge from said certain of'said slots for preventing lateral displacement-of said needles fromsaid certain of said slots while permitting longitudinal reciprocation of said needles.-

4. In a-knitting machine, a'needle mounting member having'a-plurality of'juxtaposed slots; a plurality of needles mounted respectively in certainof said'slots for longitudinal reciprocation therein, others of said slots'which are respectively adjacent to needle mounting'slots being withoutneedlestherein; and a plurality of needle retainers having portionsrespectively anchored in said others of said slots and other portions extending across the needles intherespectively'adjacent needle mounting slotsfor preventing lateral displacement of said needles from said needle mounting slots while permitting longitudinal reciprocation of said needles;

515- In a'knittin'g machine; a needle mounting member-- 4 having a plurality. of. juxtaposedtslots;..a plurality of ,neea dles mounted respectively inacertain of said slots for longitudinal reciprocation therein, others of said slots which are respectively adjacent to needle mounting slots being without needles therein; and a plurality of needle retainers having shank portions respectively extending longitudinally with respect to and'anchored in said others of said slots andlugs extending transverselwof said shank portions across, the .needles,.inr,,-tl1e.respectivelyadjacent:

needle mountingslots,,forpreventing lateraL dispalcement of said needles from said needlemounting slotslWhilepermitting longitudinal reciprocation of said needles.

6. In a khitting'maehiney a needle mountingmember having a pluralitygofizjuxtaposed slotsya plurality of needles mounted respectively in certain of said slots for longitudinal reciprocation therein, others of said slots which are respectively adjacent to needle mounting slots being Without need les therein; and a'plurality of needle retainers having portionsrespectively frictionally" fitte'd and anchoredin said" others of "said "slots and'other portions extending-"transversely across -the"needles--in the respec tively adjacent needle-meunting slots for preventing 'lat-' eral displacement-of-said needlesfrom said needle mount: ing-slots--while permitting longitudinal" reciprocationof said needles.-

71' In-a-"knitting'rnachiney-a needlemountin'g member. havinga" plurality 'ofjuxtaposedslotsya plurality of needles-mounted" respectively=in certain"of said 'slots' for longitudinal reciprocation-'therein;'-others'ofsaid slots which" are respectively adjacentto'needle-mounting slots being Without needles therein; and a' plurality of needle retainershaving -portions' respectively anchored'in said others of saidslots-and other portions extending'across the needles in the respectively adjacent needle mounting slots where said needles t emerge-longitudinally from theirv associated slots"forpreventing'lateral dispalcement of said needles from' saidassociated slots while permitting longitudinal'rciprocation of said needles;

8; ha knitting machine, a needle mounting member having a plurality of juxtaposed slots; a plurality of needles mounted respectively'in'certainofsaid slots for longitudinal reciprocationtherein, others of said slots which are respectively" adjacent to'needle mounting slots being without needles therein; and a plurality of needle retainers having portions respectively frictionally fitted and anchored in said others of said slots and extending beyond associated slot ends, and other portions beyond the associated slot ends extending across the needles in the respectively adjacent needle mounting slots for preventing lateral displacement of said needles from said needle mountingslots while permitting longitudinal reciprocation of said 'needles.

9. A needleretainer for preventing lateral displacement of a needle'from a needle mounting slot of a knitting machineneedlemounting member, said retainer comprising a shank for insertion and anchoring in a non-needle-mounting slot in said member; and a lug extending transversely of said shank. for projecting across a needle reciprocably mounted in an adjacent bed slot.

10. A one piece unitary sheet metal retainer for preventing lateral-displacement. of a needle from a needle mounting slot of a knitting machine needle mounting member, said retainer comprising a flat shank fittable within and frictionally anchorable vin a needle mounting slot; and a lug bent over from said shank to project laterally With respect to the longitudinal extent of said shank.

11. In a knitting machine, a needle dial having concentric inner and outer radially slotted annular parts spaced radially from each other, the slots in said inner part being radially aligned with respective slots in said outer part; a;

plurality of needles respectively reciprocably mounted in certain of: the aligned slots, and, spanning the radial space between said parts and projecting radially outwardly beyondthe slotsinsaid outerlp art;-and. a pluralityaofxneedle 5 retainers anchored in slots in said inner part respectively References Cited in the file of this patent adjacent to the needle mounting slots and having portions extending across the needles in the adjacent slots and UNITED STATES PATENTS radially between said inner and outer parts for preventing 871,095 Klemm Nov. 12, 1907 lateral displacement of said needles from said slots while 5 969,222 Tiffany Sept. 6, 1910 permitting longitudinal reciprocation of said needles. 1,035,752 Scott Aug. 13, 1912 1,241,882 Pope et a1. Oct. 2, 1917 2,535,991 Stevens Dec. 26, 1950 

